"Arnaldur Indridason is already an international literary phenom-and it's easy to see why. His novels are gripping, authentic, haunting, and lyrical. I can't wait for the next."-Harlan Coben
In this latest puzzle, Inspector Erlendur learns of the baffling story of Matthildur, a local woman who went missing years earlier on the night of a violent storm. Erlendur has spent his whole life searching for his brother Beggi, who was lost in a snowstorm when they were both children. As he starts to ask questions about the fateful evening when Matthildur disappeared, Erlendur also begins to suspect what may have befallen his long-lost brother.
Can Erlendur possibly solve the disappearances of Matthildur and Beggi after all these decades? Or are the forces that want him to stop investigating stronger than he is?
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From Booklist
Starred Review Erlendur, the doleful Reykjavik police inspector (Outrage, 2012), has taken leave from his job to return to Iceland’s remote Eastern Fjords. He is camping very rough in the collapsing remains of the farmhouse his family abandoned after his younger brother, Bergur, disappeared in a savage blizzard that Erlendur barely survived. Walking the moors, Erlendur meets an old man named Boas who took part in the search for Bergur, and the voluble Boas tells him of another disappearance. A woman named Matthildur set out for her mother’s house in 1942 and disappeared in another blizzard. Erlendur begins to visit surviving people who knew Matthildur, and he ultimately stitches together a tale of lies, betrayals, and murder. But all the while, it is Bergur’s disappearance—and Erlendur’s guilt—that obsesses him. His interviews with people who knew Matthildur, all in their eighties and nineties, recall the voices of Norse sagas: pithy, concise, and very matter-of-fact about everything, including their own impending deaths. These encounters are brilliantly written, and the Matthildur “case” is wonderfully convoluted. The dour detective courts hypothermia each night in the farmhouse, has ethereal encounters with an augur from his youth, and finds some respite from his lifelong grief. Strange Shores reads as if it could be the last entry in the Erlendur cycle. If so, it’s a superb end to a haunting series. --Thomas Gaughan
“A remarkable series.” — The New York Times
“Arnaldur Indriðason is already an international literary phenom-and it's easy to see why. His novels are gripping, authentic, haunting, and lyrical.” — Harlan Coben
“Brilliantly written.” — Booklist
“Iceland's Indridason is a master of the hard-edged realist psychological thriller anchoring his stories in the dark side of contemporary Icelandic life.” — Men's Journal
“The market and appetite for [Stieg Larsson's books] seems to be unappeasable, as does the demand for the stories of Arnaldur Indriðason.” — Christopher Hitchens, Vanity Fair
“Every one of these writers is good [Håkan Nesser, Kjell Eriksson, Åke Edwardson, Helene Tursten, Karin Fossum], but in my book, Arnaldur Indriðason is even better.” — Joe Queenan, Los Angeles Times
“Having been absent in Indridason's previous two mysteries, Erlendur's return will thrill fans. His doggedness and unconventional methods are in rare form. While series veterans get more insight on Bergur's disappearance, no knowledge of the backstory is required for full enjoyment of this satisfying mystery.” — Library Journal